Different
by Aino Hikaru
Summary: Hilde's tells of her step-brother, Duo's, struggles with being different in an present day high school. YAOI, AU
1. Hilde's Introduction

Title: Different  
  
Part: Prologue 1/?  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Pairings: Not telling ^^  
  
Warnings: School social structure generalizations (Goths vs. Jocks), angst, Hilde POV  
  
Hikaru's notes: I wanted to do a story about Heero and Duo from Hilde's stand point, not as a potential lover but as a sister since I have yet to really read one of those.  
  
1st Prologue  
  
I'm writing today to tell a story that needs to be told. It's not my story, however; this story is my brother's. It would perhaps be better for him to tell it, but he never will, so I guess that leaves me to.  
  
My brother has always been someone I looked up to, even during those years when I wouldn't admit it, even if you paid. He was very remarkable and most everyone liked him after a few minutes of knowing him. Some would say that it was because of his cheerful personality that was complemented by his incredible good looks. But I disagree. I believe that people were drawn to my step-brother because he was different. Duo wasn't necessarily different in a bad way, but who's to say it wasn't a good way either. He was just different. The most remarkable thing was that he knew he was different and he embraced it.  
  
That is why his story needs to be told, no matter what. I believe that with all my heart and after all, Duo always used to say, "Hilde, do what you believe is right no matter what anyone else, including me, says."  
  
So that's what I'm doing, telling the story of the one who stood up against the odds. The one who dared to stand up and say "hey." The one who dared to be different. And while I can't say he succeeded, I think whether or not he did should be decided by whoever reads this. Maybe then they will dare to be different. 


	2. Prologue

Title: Different  
  
Part: Prologue 2/?  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Pairings: Not telling ^^ (well okay I sorta am)  
  
Warnings: School social structure generalizations (Goths vs. Jocks), angst, Hilde POV  
  
Hikaru's notes: I wanted to do a story about Heero and Duo from Hilde's stand point, not as a potential lover but as a sister since I have yet to really read one of those.  
2nd Prologue  
  
Duo was different since the day I met him. Even at six I could see that he marched to the beat of his own drum, not just a different one.  
  
When I first saw him with all that long hair done up in a braid, I thought, "Who's that new girl?"  
  
I was shocked to find he was a boy alright, what's more; his eyes were so blue, they were almost violet. They were a far cry for my own definitely blue ones. My own hair was pretty long back then too (although now it's shorter than most boy's) but it was nowhere near the length of that boy's. Well, despite his oddities, Duo and I became fast friends. Soon, we were getting into trouble I would never have been apart of if it wasn't for him egging me on.  
  
But while we were becoming the best of friends, Duo's mom and my dad began to see "worthy qualities" in each other. So a couple of months after my ninth birthday, Duo became the older brother (by one month) that I never had. It was a beautiful fall wedding. Duo and his mother both shone with equal brilliance that day. They were both going to be apart of a family again. It was impossible to tell who was happier. Afterwards, I went to embrace my new brother, and when he smiled, I got a glimpse of the great man he would become.  
  
Things were picture perfect until Duo's eleventh birthday.  
  
It was the second of June and the day was a promise of a mild summer to come. I guess not everyone was happy with that idea because Duo's mother, Helen, was hit and killed by a drunk driver in the parking lot of Walmart at 10:24 in the morning. I know the exact time only because that was when Duo just stated to scream hysterically. I still don't understand how he knew, and I don't think even he himself knew, he just did.  
  
Duo was never the same afterwards. He never did talk about that day except to say that his birthday wasn't on June 2nd, it was on July 18th, mine. Ever since then, we celebrated our birthdays on that day. I think he changed it because he felt guilty over his mom's death. Helen had been picking up his cake and a few last minute birthday presents that day at Walmart.  
  
Middle school passed and we grew closer, though Duo started to make less friends. He started to define people as "preps" and "outcasts." I asked what a "prep" was one day and he answered, "A prep is a) a jock, b) student council official, or c) an airheaded bimbo [1]. Basically anyone considered popular. You're a prep because you fall under jock; you play soccer [2] and you play in the marching band. As an outcast, I'm supposed to be you sworn enemy [3]."  
  
The glare I gave him made Duo hastily add with a nervous laugh, "But of course there are exceptions to every rule.."  
  
So he became an outcast and after our first year of high school, he fit snugly into the subcategory of "goth-border punk". Thus, he became slightly unpopular [4]. The funny thing though wasn't that he was forced into that position like so many of that stature, he chose it. In fact, he could have very well been a prep. He'd beaten most of the basketball team on the court at one time or another, even his charisma and quick wit would have made him a shoe in for StuCo. Yet Duo didn't pick either choice. He picked "different."  
  
But that's not where his story starts. Instead it starts a few years after Duo decided to be different. The real story begins his junior year of high school when he was forced to cooperate with a person that would change his life forever.  
[1] Okay, not all preps are bad. well actually they are. I know I've been tormented by they more times than I care to count. So if you think Duo's explanation is a little biased, well it is.  
  
[2] Yes, I said "soccer." I'm American and because I'm American I'm automatically correct. or so my father says. I think we're hypocrites, American football sucks and we should just call "soccer" "football" like everyone else in the world.  
  
[3] This bit of "class" politics is very important in most high school social structures. This will also be the main focus of Different. So remember this line because that's how everyone at this (and unfortunately mine) high school thinks. (I hate being popular, and I hate being unpopular what's a poor girl to do. wait for college!)  
  
[4] Cough, cough. (I love sarcasm).  
  
Hikaru's note: Okay, please don't kill me for the prep comments. Remember there are exceptions to every rule! And if you are a prep, them ya can't be all bad cause you did read this afterall. (proceeds to kiss major ass). Besides, one of my good friends is a jock-prep. Okay, I know where this story is gonna end up, but it'll take me a while to get there cause Hilde's telling the story and I didn't plan it from the point of view of a third person. However; I thought it would bring more depth to the story, and miraculously, it has! Wahoo! So bear with me as I try to write it. Pairs will become obvious, but if I tell now that would ruin the story, so sit tight! Thanks for reading! 


	3. The Assignment

Title: Different  
  
Part: Chapter 1/?  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Pairings: Not telling ^^ (well okay I sorta am)  
  
Warnings: School social structure generalizations (Goths vs. Jocks), angst, Hilde POV  
  
Hikaru's notes: I wanted to do a story about Heero and Duo from Hilde's stand point, not as a potential lover but as a sister since I have yet to really read one of those.  
  
Thank you for all the great reviews! Wow! This was the most I'd ever gotten on a story before! So here's my answer section..  
  
Dragonfire: Glad you like it!  
  
Abby Maxwell: My step-grandma's Canadian too! Thanks for the applause and I'm glad you ended up reading it!  
  
Werekitten: This one's definitely longer. It's twice the length of the prologue. Thanks for explaining 'mosher', I was like, 'what?'  
  
Trivia-game: Yeah, there's definitely too many 'potential lover' POVs out there. I decided to have my minor character tell the story because it shows how much we are influenced by the people we look up to. Besides, I had to have one good prep.  
  
MajikzPawn: Yeah, Hilde and Duo are definitely just friends. You think it's original? I'm honored! *curtsies in her plaid skirt* That's what I'm going for!  
  
Lady Foeseeker: Well, band members fall more under prep. It's a joke my friend and I have. We live in a high *high* altitude area of Colorado and she's a smoker on the track team. We used to work with this girl in the band at Subway who was the *biggest* prep, and since she was the closest thing to being a jock, I tease my smoker friend that she's *just* like our ex-coworker.  
  
ShadeAngel: Yeah, most of the people who like anime are, so I'm weirting this stiry for them. I'm an art student myself.  
  
Koori Namida (aka Violet): This one's longer! Don't worry, I've been tormented since 7th grade! They called me 'dyke' and stupid stuff. You think they could start to get original after the first couple of years, but no! It's always the 'dyke' comments.  
  
Now on with the story!  
  
Chapter 1: The Assignment  
  
Well, since Duo and I were the same age, it only made sense that we would be in the same grade, after all, we had met in first grade. So it goes without saying that of course we would have a few courses together. English, gym, and Biology II were the three classes we ended up sharing our junior year. While English was fun because of a way kick ass teacher by the name of Mr. Lockwood; and gym exciting because I was almost always on the same team as Duo; Bio II was pure and unadulterated torture scheduled for an hour and 32 minutes every other day. The proctor for this form of capital punishment was a man by the name of B. P. Thorpe (Duo called him "Butt Pain" Thorpe) who was runner up for head of the science office in our school.  
  
He was notorious for making strait 'A' students fall to the 'B' mark with his nit-picking grading style and assignments from hell. This year was no different as seeing how the highest grade in our class was a 79.4 held by one, Heero Yuy, jock and jack ass extraordinaire. He was captain of the varsity basketball team and one of the only two my brother couldn't beat on the court. We were also forced to share our gym class with him, who Duo termed "Mr. Perfect Ass Wipe." I think it's safe to say that my step- brother wasn't very fond of Heero.  
  
My brother held a 79.3 and let me tell you, it drove him nuts to be a fraction of a point below the class' resident jerk. Myself, I was stuck at a firm 74.5, not even the massive assignment Thorpe was about to assign us would really move me much.  
  
"Congratulations class," our teacher drawled in an attempt to gain our attention. It more or less failed.  
  
"Today we will begin the project that will determine your grade for this quarter, and quite possibly this semester. And to make it make it more worth your while to do your best, any finished project that gets an 'A' will automatically receive an 'A' for the quarter, regardless of your grade now."  
  
A few groans sounded from the class, myself included. Like anyone would get an 'A' on a Thorpe project.  
  
Thorpe waited till they died down before continuing, "It will be the DNA project I covered briefly when we went over everything at the first of the year. As you well know, since the project is so long and involved, you will by working in pairs."  
  
At that, I felt there was a chance of acing the project as I looked over the two spaces between Duo and I to catch his eye. He grinned in acknowledgement and I was about to nod and smile when I heard the words that guaranteed hell for the next three weeks.  
  
"I have taken the liberty of choosing your partners to ensure the best quality of work."  
  
"Best Quality of work," yeah right. Duo must've thought so as well because I heard him choke back a snicker.  
  
Apparently, I wasn't the only one who heard him, "Mr. Maxwell, since you think this is so amusing, why don't we start with you."  
  
My step-brother gave Thorpe a haughty smirk in response, "Hit me with your best shot." [1]  
  
I didn't think it was possible to wipe to wipe that smirk from Duo's face as fast as our Bio II teacher did, "You, Mr. Maxwell, are paired with Mr. Yuy."  
  
I looked over at Duo in time to see him pale three shades and turn one shade of baby puke green. Heero's ever present scowl became even darker, which was one thing I never thought possible. His girlfriend, queen of pink, and head of the cheerleading squad; immediately spoke up with some useless protest.  
  
"Ah, Miss Darlian, thank you for volunteering to be next; you are partners with Miss Schbeiker."  
  
"Why me," I muttered before sliding down in my chair. Even though I was a prep, spending my time with Relena Darlian was not high on my list of priorities. In fact, spending time with the clingy cheerleader had once been the premise of one of my nightmares. Although, maybe something good could come of the arrangement. She was giving me a glare that was worthy of her boyfriend. Ah yes, I could definitely use this situation to make her miserable. A little payback for those "Dyke" comments and her goading that always persuaded her groupies into giving my brother hell.  
  
Mr. Thorpe must have finished calling out pairs during my musings because he was ordering us to go sit by our partners. I reluctantly gathered my belongings and went to take the seat Heero had previously occupied next to "my favoritest person in the whole world" [2]. Yeah, I may have had a plan to use this situation to torment Relena, but that didn't mean that I was looking forward to being saddled with her.  
  
Well, lucky for Relena and I, one of her groupies by the name of Sally ended up sitting next to her, so I got to do the little preparatory lab without speaking to her once. Unfortunately, I got to do the lab alone. Halfway through the class, I spared a look towards my step-brother and his partner. By the looks of things, he was having even less fun than me. I don't know what tipped me off, but it could've been the sneer on Duo's face as he wrote down the results or Heero's glare o' death as he ran the lab.  
  
Before the end of class, Relena gave me her cell phone number so I could call her about the project. I was shocked! She actually participated, a little. I gathered my stuff together and jammed her number in my pocket, fully intending to "lose" it in the washing machine later.  
  
The bell rang, and I ran towards the door in an attempt to catch up to my brother so we could eat lunch together.  
  
"Hey Duo, wait up," I cried out, relieved when turned around and waited, albeit impatiently.  
  
After finally catching up, I took one look at the scowl on his face and smiled mischievously. I knew I shouldn't have asked, but after sitting next to the gossipmonger of the junior class for a whole period, I couldn't help myself, "So how'd go with Yuy?"  
  
His glare was so perfect, I couldn't stop it; I broke down laughing. And I laughed my ass off.  
  
By the time I'd recovered, he replied, "I'll tell you about it after we're seated."  
  
So once we reached the lunch room, I made my way over to our usual table where Quatre was already seated with homemade lunch of pasta salad and a bagel turkey sandwich, complete with a thermos of unsweetened ice tea. God, it must've been nice to have 29 older sisters to baby you. The only mother figure I could remember having was Duo's mother, Helen.  
  
About five minutes later, Duo emerged from the kitchen area of the lunch room juggling two Caesar salads, a large size fry, a double cheeseburger, some plastic forks, and a stack of napkins. After setting his cargo on the round table, he slid one salad over to me a fork with some napkins mixed in. With a cheeky grin, he removed two cans of Pepsi from his coat pockets and passed one to me.  
  
"So." I looked at him pointedly, "What happened with Heero?"  
  
Duo's scowl returned with a vengeance, but before he could answer, Quatre burst out with, "Do you mean the hunky captain of the varsity basketball team, Heero Yuy?"  
  
Duo raised an annoyed eyebrow.  
  
"God, Cat! I swear, you get the biggest crushes on the worst guys," he said as he spared a look at the "jock table" where Trowa Barton sat.  
  
Quatre ducked his head to hide the blush that crossed his cheeks.  
  
"Anyway," Duo started, "I've been stuck working with that asshole, Yuy, for practically a whole month." This was said for Quatre's benefit of course.  
  
"Seeing as how we have to cooperate for the time being, I tried to make nice and say, 'hey, bygones are bygones, so let's start over and pretend we don't wanna rip out each other's guts.'  
  
"Well, Heero Yuy, being the complete ass wipe he is, decides to make fun of my talents with the black eyeliner by commenting that I 'look like some faggot freak from the 1980's trying to look like an ancient Egyptian queen.' With a straight face, mind you! I mean the nerve of that asshole!"  
  
Quatre was on the floor, he was laughing so hard. I took one look at Duo's eyes completely outlined in black. He had even drawn a black tear drop on his just below the outside corner of the right one.  
  
I shook my head and smiled, "I told you that you were overdoing it one the makeup!"  
  
Duo gave me a look that would make a mountain crack in two. But what really scared me was when it was replaced with a decidedly evil smirk/ sneer.  
  
"Oh yeah, Heero's coming over after school, since he doesn't have pratice today, to discuss the project and to get started on some of the worksheets. Maybe he'll bring his girlfriend, Relena, along and we could all work together. 'Specially since she hates being separated from Heero for more than a few seconds at a time."  
  
I think I turned a rather unappealing shade of green. After school with both Heero and Relena? God, and I didn't even have pratice to delay my presence because my sport wasn't till next season!  
  
Quatre giggled hysterically as the storm clouds over my head definitely began to darken.  
[1] What he says is a title of a Pat Benatar song from the 80's. I love her music and I couldn't help having a reference, especially since to perfect opportunity arose!  
  
[2] Yes, I realize "favoritest" is not a word. I'm trying to make a point about how childish the cliques are and just how much Hilde can't stand Relena.  
  
Hikaru's other note: Duo is a Gemini so that was why I gave him an early June birthday in the last chapter. And don't disagree with me on this, I'll send you the personality profile for a Gemini myself! Astrology's a little hobby of mine. I'm too lazy to figure out what Hilde is so I made her a Cancer. She kinda seems like one and it fit my purposes, so for this story, she's a Cancer.this note was supposed to be in the last chapter, but I forgot about it, so bear with me on this, k? Sorry!  
  
The project they are working on is one that I actually had to do my junior year. It was a pain in the ass! We had groups of like four to six, but that didn't work for my story of course, so they have partners. The work they do will be much less than what we really had to do. Oh, and I made op the grade change thing because I felt it would make "Mr. Perfect" actually try to work with Duo on it. thus. home visits!  
  
Thanks for reading! See ya next chapter! 


	4. The First of Many Visits

Title: Different chap2/?  
  
Rating: R for naughty language and high school life  
  
Pairings: 1+2+1, 1xR *ducks*, 4+3 (unrequited)  
  
Warnings: YAOI/Shounen ai, naughty language, drug use, Relena, liberal use of bad American slang  
  
Disclaimer: Right. like I own GW. The story is mine though, and the "don wanna" belongs to Amanda Marque. It's my little tribute to her.  
  
Archive: 1x2ml, gwYAOIml,   
  
Hikaru's Note: Heh, it's been awhile for this one. Sorry to all of those who've been waiting for more. If you want to read the rest, feel free to cut and paste the fanfiction.net link above. Thank you to all of the those who reviewed the last chapter, your comments mean so much to me and make me feel loved. Thanks to you guys, I buckled down and wrote this. It probably would have gone unwritten, otherwise. I'm really sorry for the long wait though! I was writing, just not the right chapter. I couldn't write this chapter, so I skipped a couple and wrote the one I really needed to get out. I've also been working on a comic version of this told by Duo. And blame Harry Potter!!! And my work Subway! And Mercedes Lackey! Okay.. On with the show!!! (it's the longest part yet!!! Please take it as the peace offering it is).  
  
Chapter 2: The First of Many Visits  
  
The rest of the day went off without a hitch. Art was the same old same old, well except for the boy who got angry and dumped paint all over his canvas. The funny part was when he tried to pass it off as artistic expression. Speech class was okay too. All it involved was researching the main points for our upcoming class debate. We were going to be talking about reasons for and against war [1].  
  
After class, I met Duo at the bus stop. All it took was one look at him and it was easy to determine that the rest of his day hadn't been as easy going as mine.his normally neat plait had so many frizzled hairs sticking out that Duo looked as though he had just woken up. His face was twisted into a grimace bordering on a snarl, but that wasn't what tipped me off. It was his lack of giggling fan club. Instead of ten or so girls clustered around him, I saw the regulars hidden in the surrounding crowds whispering and casting frightened looks in Duo's direction.  
  
So me, being the wonderful, supportive, step-sister/best friend that I am, I ran up behind him and slapped him on the back so hard, he nearly fell over.  
  
"God dammit, Hilde! What the hell," Duo shouted once he regained his balance.  
  
"Hiya," I giggled, much to his dismay, "Aw, where are your groupies, Mr. Rockstar?"  
  
The glare I got in response was on par with Heero Yuy's.  
  
"Oh shut up, Hilde," he huffed.  
  
"So. bad rest the day, eh?"  
  
Duo threw his hands up in the air, "Bad? Bad doesn't begin to descried it! In shop class, Chang was fucking with me the whole period. I was so pissed that I missed a cut with the damn skill saw. I almost cut off my fucking leg! Then the teacher got pissed at ME. He made me sweep the entire shop with a paintbrush while Chang and the other shitheads taunted me. They called me 'Broom Bitch Maxwell' when Wright wasn't looking."  
  
"Come on Duo," I prodded, "Mr. Wright must've noticed them picking on you."  
  
He rolled his eyes, "I'm sure he did notice, but he's assistant coach for the basketball team and the head coach for the boys' soccer team. It's only natural he'd let the jocks get off easy.  
  
"But it doesn't end there! In computer programming, I was paired with that hotshot Muller on our screensaver project. Now I have to make 26 different screensavers with the asshole. I mean, he's had it out for me ever since I beat the living shit out of him in a basketball game our freshmen year, and our sophomore year, and basically anytime we've matched up against each other.  
  
"So anyway, he makes all these stupid, completely unoriginal jokes about the hair, and what a 'wussy boy' I am. Y'know, the ones. 'Hey look, a girl' or 'Bet you like it in the ass.' Jesus! At least Chang and Yuy can come up with something original!"  
  
"So." I asked, acting uninterested, "the point.?"  
  
"Well," he continued undaunted, "I managed to finish five pretty good screensavers. Before I could save them to disk though, Mr. Brilliant 'accidentally' wipes the hard drive clean! What an idiot! He'd freaking cut off his own nose just to spite his face! Now I have to spend more time working on that godforsaken project with him because he set me back a day already!  
  
"Way to go Muller! Way to be a fuckin' moron!"  
  
I raised an eyebrow at step-brother. It was a musing to see him on the verge of hyperventilation, but his behavior really was pretty pathetic.  
  
"Duo," I sighed, "you are acting like Relena when she breaks a nail. The day is over, our bus is here, so let's go home and get over it."  
  
He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before he finally nodded and let me drag him aboard to 'our spot': the seat two spaces from the back of the bus.  
  
The bus quickly filled up with students eager to get home and pretend that such a thing as school never existed. At 3:15 on the dot, the bus engines started up and we were on our way. Duo was relatively quite, so I pulled a comic book out of my backpack and began reading.  
  
Soon, we found ourselves trudging the two blocks from the bus stop to our house. Actually, it was really my dad's and mine. Since Duo's mom had been married to my father when she died, and Duo had no other living relatives, the officials had just decided Duo adopted by default by my dad [2].  
  
As we came closer to the house, it quickly became apparent that something was amiss. That something was a black Chevy truck hopped up on steroids. The worst part of this find was discovered when we finally reached the front yard.  
  
"Hn. The queen of the Egyptian eyeliner faggots arrives," drawled a deep monotone voice that could only belong to one man.  
  
"Yuy, what the fuck are you doing parked in the driveway of MY house?!"  
  
A quick glance in my step-brother's direction confirmed the anger and surprise in his voice.  
  
Heero's glare deepened as he crossed his arms, "That should be obvious. YOU requested my presence after school so we could work on the project in Biology. YOU even gave me directions to your house. Why did it take YOU so long to arrive?"  
  
Duo's eyes narrowed into slits in response to the obvious challenge, "I take the bus."  
  
Then he marched over to the door, unlocked it, and held it open with a mocking bow for Heero's entry, "After you, your Majesty."  
  
Heero snarled, but entered anyway with Duo and I close on his heels. From there, Duo led Heero to his room and I made a beeline for the television. Flopping onto the couch and throwing my backpack beside it without a second thought, I flipped on the TV just in time to catch the opening credits of Cardcaptors [3].  
  
It wasn't until the last five minutes of Jackie Chan Adventures that I heard any noise from the occupied room. However, my brother and Heero decided not to disappoint me.  
  
It began with muffled shouting which quickly escalated into all out screaming accompanied by thuds and objects being smashed. Alarmed, I rose and raced to the bedroom door, only to have it jerked open violently. I stepped back in surprise when I came face to face with Heero Yuy. He took the opportunity to stalk past my temporarily paralyzed form and disappear out the front door.  
  
It was the sound of tires screeching out of the driveway that finally brought me back to reality. I dashed to the window just in time to glimpse the monster Chevy rounding the corner.  
  
"God damned son of a bitch," floated faintly from Duo's room and I dashed back to his door.  
  
Duo slowly picked himself up off his bed. He stared in disgust at the wreckage that had once been his room.  
  
"A-are you okay," I sputtered stupidly.  
  
He turned and gave me that silly half grin of his, "Yeah, I'll have some interesting bruises for awhile, but I think I'll live."  
  
"I'll help you clean this mess up before my dad gets home, if you want."  
  
"Heh, yeah, thanks." "No problem."  
  
Duo stepped forward and ruffled my short, dark hair affectionately, "Ya know, you're not so bad for a jock."  
  
"HEY," I admonished in mock anger, "you want me to help or not?"  
  
He smiled in response and bent to pick up some of the CD cases scattered about the floor. Taking my cue from him, I stooped to help him.  
  
All was quiet until I spotted an unfamiliar navy blue backpack.  
  
"Duo, what's this," I asked while holding it up for him to see. He glanced at casually, never really taking his attention off the task at hand.  
  
"Oh, that's just Hee-," he turned back around , his pale face staring numbly at the offending object, "-ro's backpack."  
  
"He must've forgotten it when he stormed out," I inferred for him, "guess we can give it back to him tomorrow."  
  
Duo shook his head, "No, he needs it tonight. He has a Chem test tomorrow that he needs to study for. That was part of the argument. He didn't want to waste his afternoon with me and a project due a month from now when he could be studying for a test he's taking tomorrow.and well, things went from there."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Yeah, so I'll take it over to his house," he said with a resigned sigh, "if I don't make it back home before your dad, tell'em I went to the library."  
  
I crossed my arms, "He'll never believe that, Duo!"  
  
He crossed the room and removed the backpack from my grasp.  
  
"So," he said with defiance, "it'll be the truth. Heero lives near the library and I need to get a book on DNA for back reference on the project. I don't trust Thorpe to give us all the information we'll need. I'll just give Heero his backpack since I'll be in the area."  
  
"Okay, but wait! How do you know where Heero lives?"  
  
"Oh, that," he smirked, "well. who didja think egged and toilet papered last Halloween?"  
  
Before I could even sputter and answer, he was out the door and gone.  
  
As luck would have it, my father, Trant Schibieker [4], got home before Duo. However, not more than five minutes after my dad arrived, Duo burst though the front door looking rather harassed and a bit disheveled.  
  
"Where were you," my father demanded. I hadn't had the chance to tell him the cover story yet.  
  
Duo brandished the book I hadn't realized he was carrying.  
  
"Library," he said curtly. Then he stalked off to his room to avoid further questioning.  
  
He didn't appear again until just after dinner. I was doing the dishes and Trant was in the computer room going over some file from his work.  
  
My step-brother rummaged around the kitchen cabinets and fridge noisily. Finally, curiosity got the better of me and I peered over my shoulder to find that he was making a sandwich. I went back to my dishes and Duo plopped down at the kitchen table.  
  
After a few moments of listening to him eat his sandwich my curiosity kicked in again.  
  
"So what happened?"  
  
"Nuffink." (Nothing)  
  
"Duo," I sighed over the splash of dishes, "swallow before you speak, and don't lie to me. It's never 'nothing' when something happens between you and a . a jock."  
  
"God! What? Are you my mother now too?"  
  
I spun to face him, my anger evident on my face, "No, I'm not your mother! I'm your best friend and your sister. Now spill before I give you a sisterly beating!"  
  
I know I should have expected what happened next, but I didn't.  
  
He laughed. Okay, he didn't just laugh. He fell out of his chair and started rolling around the floor clutching his sides as roared his mirth.  
  
"Just what is so funny?"  
  
"It-it's just.YOU," he gasped, "the image. of you. beating. MY ASS!"  
  
This sent him into another fit laughter. I not so patiently waited for him to finish.  
  
"Duo." I warned.  
  
"Okay, okay," he said as he waved an imaginary surrender flag, "Geez, you jocks are so pushy."  
  
"Humph."  
  
"Okay," he resigned, " I went to his house, just like I said I would, but when I got there, he wasn't home. Interesting since he was so. pushy. about getting his studying done. So, me being the nice guy that I am, I decided that instead of just leaving it on the doorstep and running like hell, I would break-er-ENTER his house and put it in his room. I mean, I didn't want it to get stolen or nothing."  
  
"Sure. that was your only reason."  
  
"Hey, shut up! So anyways, I tried the front door, naturally, I didn't want to pass up an easy opportunity if I could find it. Surprise, surprise, it was locked, but at least I know the Yuys aren't as stupid as they look.  
  
"Of course, next I checked the windows. On the left side of the house, I found a winner, AND it was hidden from view by the neighbor's wooden fence and the bushes in front of the house.  
  
"So I pop the sucker open and climb in. Lucky me, it was even the bastard's room!"  
  
"Alright, so what happened then?"  
  
"Hold on! I'm getting there! Well, I was feeling curious so I started to go though his stuff."  
  
"Duo! You DIDN'T!"  
  
"SHHH! Will ya keep it down? And YES, I did. Oh God, let me tell you, his taste in music sucks! He had this classical shit and some live church choir wannabe crap. He even had some Asian looking shit. I couldn't even read what it was 'cause it was like Chinese or something. All I could read was 'TWO-MIX [5].'"  
  
"It was probably Japanese."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Heero's half Japanese you dork," the exacerbation was evident in my voice, "His name basically gives it away."  
  
"Right. so anyway, I was going through his book collection -can you believe the guy actually reads Jane Austen? What a loser- and I hear the doorknob turn. I'm too far away from the window so I dove under the bed. It was so dusty under there and he had like week old underwear lying next to this HUGE stack of porn."  
  
I made a face.  
  
"Yeah, so I'm trying no to cough, and that's when I hear Relena Darlian's voice. It turns out he was at her house fucking after he left here. Well her brother came home early from his college classes, so they decided to continue their fun at Heero's house. and I'm trapped under the bed. I won't go into detail, but listening to Relena scream for half an hour isn't how I pictured my afternoon. And, geez, they could've rocked the bed a little harder, I wasn't quite a stain on the carpet yet."  
  
"Oh, Duo! Too much info! Keep it to yourself! Ya don't need to scar me too!"  
  
"Fine," he said, turning away, "if ya don wanna hear the story, that's 'kay with me."  
  
"No! I wanna hear it. Keep going."  
  
"Alright then, stop interrupting. Finally Heero tires out Miss Darlian and she passes out. He gets up, goes to the window and opens it- thank God I closed it after I got in, though I still don't know why I bothered. I listened as he lit up a smoke. I peeked out from under the bed and found him staring out the window and taking a drag of his cigarette. Seeing it as my opportunity, I snuck out the other side of the bed and went out the front door as quickly and quietly as I could.  
  
"As soon as I was safe, I took off to the library, got my book and came home. Didn't want to waste the trip an' all.  
  
"So that's the story."  
  
I half expected him to take a bow.  
  
"God, Duo, I think that was the stupidest thing you've ever done."  
  
He gave a small laugh, "Nah, that wasn't stupid, it was brave! Now I know just how much of a jock loser Yuy really is!"  
  
"Still stupid," but I couldn't help but smile. I did think he was brave, but if let him know that, his head would swell to the size of Heero Yuy's, and we couldn't have that.  
  
I left him for a quick shower and then went to bed. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep with a smile gracing my lips.  
  
TBC  
  
[1] War is such a main theme in the Gundam Wing series that it would be a crime to NOT mention it at the very least.  
  
[2] I'm not sure if this would really happen, but it sounds plausible enough to me...  
  
[3] Did I mention that I love CLAMP? Well I do! Almost more than GW.almost.  
  
[4] In the comic compilation of GW from Mixx (now TokyoPop), Trant and Hilde know each other from before OZ. that's why I thought they'd make good relations.  
  
[5] Another GW Reference. For those who don't know, they sing the theme song "Just Communication" as well as "Rhythm Emotion" and "White Reflection."  
  
Hikaru's note: See ya next time! ^^ 


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